Panos Panay talks of new Surface form factors but don't get your hopes high for a Surface Phone

Surface Phone might be off the radar for Microsoft but there are other form factors still possible. (Source: OnMSFT)

Microsoft's Surface chief Panos Panay recently opened up on the WIRED's Gadget Lab podcast and talked about the Surface Go and its position in the Surface family. However, he categorically denied the possibility of a Surface Phone but did say there will be new form factors and new change in the market.

Microsoft just released its newest member of the Surface family — the Surface Go — the smallest but still fairly capable member of the Surface family. The release of the Surface Go somewhat rekindled hopes that Microsoft could go even smaller and finally make a device that can work like a PC but has telephony included — in other words, the Surface Phone. WIRED's Lauren Goode sat down with Surface chief Panos Panay to talk about the Surface Go and the possibilities of a Surface Phone. Panay categorically said that there will be no Surface Phone but one can expect the Surface line to evolve into multiple form factors. He said,

It doesn’t include a Surface Phone but it includes the way to think about what is it that people want to accomplish and how will they accomplish it and what are those form factors. So I will say there will be new form factors and there will be new change in the market.”

Panay said that they are looking at different ways people will communicate in the future and the new form factors will wrap around them. So, your Android and iOS-powered devices will continue to co-exist with Windows devices and Microsoft is working at ways of enabling seamless cross-platform functionality. In other words, it's just business as usual.

We think Microsoft will continue using semantics till the actual software is ready for prime time. The 'Andromeda' shell that is supposed to power the so called 'Ultra Mobile PC' is still in its infancy. We know from recent patents that the device will be a dual-screen device with a hinge. Also, there is a definite lacuna in the Store for third-party apps right now and Microsoft would want to remedy that before embarking on any new mobile resurrection adventures.

I am a cell and molecular biologist and computers have been an integral part of my life ever since I laid my hands on my first PC which was based on an Intel Celeron 266 MHz processor, 16 MB RAM and a modest 2 GB hard disk. Since then, I’ve seen my passion for technology evolve with the times. From traditional floppy based storage and running DOS commands for every other task, to the connected cloud and shared social experiences we take for granted today, I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed a sea change in the technology landscape. I honestly feel that the best is yet to come, when things like AI and cloud computing mature further. When I am not out finding the next big cure for cancer, I read and write about a lot of technology related stuff or go about ripping and re-assembling PCs and laptops.